Blogs and Commentary

Five Big Picture Thoughts for U19 World Games

With just a few hours left before the U.S. under-19 men's
national team takes off from New York for Finland, it's time to
take a big picture look at what may transpire July 12-21 in Turku
at the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Under-19 World
Championships. Here are five things I'll be watching. (This is a
spinoff of "Working off the Weekend: Five Things to Know" for you
dedicated fans out there.)

1. Does Team USA make it seven gold medals in a row?

The U.S. under-19 men's national team is 36-0 all-time in
international play since the U19 World Championships were
sanctioned in 1988. They've won all six gold medals, and the goal
this time is No. 7.

A 15-14 loss to a group of Philadelphia all-stars on June 23,
even with some comeback effort that came up short, re-focused the
team ahead of its final exhibition in New Jersey. The U.S. won that
weather-shortened contest, 9-4, to head into training camp over the
weekend with a good feeling.

"Everybody was mad after the loss," midfielder Tyler Barbarich said. "We finished the game,
instead of playing only the second half. We put it away earlier, to
the point where they couldn't come back. We didn't want to lose
again."

2. Do the Canadians have what it takes?

The Canadian influence on the American college game has been
well documented with players from north of the border populating
Division I men's college rosters across the United States.

Team Canada's roster and coaching staff is for real this world
games. Wes Berg (Denver), Chad Tutton (North Carolina) and Jesse
King (Ohio State) all played prominent roles on their teams as
freshman. There's something to be said for having a full season of
college competition in hand with the travel bags to Finland. Taylor
Wray (Saint Joseph's) is the head coach.

The U.S. has beaten Canada in the championship game of the last
three U19 men's World Championships.

3. Finland!

Turku, Finland is the site of these championships. It's the
first time the games will be played in Europe. Turku is the oldest
city in Finland and the country's fifth largest city by population
currently. With a coastal location and a Northern latitude
(equivalent of north of the U.S.-Canadian border), weather
forecasts call for highs around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and lows
around 55 with rain possible each day of the early parts of the
tournament. There's also a lot of sunlight with late sunsets and
early rises. We'll have more weather updates once we get there
because we all know what they say about the weatherman.

Three of Team USA's first four games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Turku time, which is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time.
Here's the schedule.

4. The International Game

There are 12 countries participating in this tournament –
Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany,
Iroquois, Korea, Netherlands, Scotland, the United States and
Wales. Several of the U.S. players have said they're eager to see
how players from other countries play the game. I am, too. Tickets
for the opening game Thursday between the home standing Finns and
the Czech Republic have been sold out.

The U.S. begins competition against Australia at 7 p.m. Friday
in the "Blue Division." Australia, England, Canada and Iroquois are
in the U.S.'s pool play group.

5. Surprises

Something unexpected is bound to happen: players stepping up in
surprising ways, an upset or unfamiliar storyline. A Teemu Selanne sighting perhaps. It's a large
part of what makes these events great.